New Mexico chile – also known by the Hatch Valley where it is grown – is the pride of the US state of New Mexico, eaten both green and roasted and red and dried. The state’s official question is even “Red or Green?”.
| Species | Capsicum annuum, New Mexican pod type |
|---|---|
| Heat | 0 to 9,500 SHU depending on cultivar (NMSU); ‚New Mexico No. 9‘ about 1,000–1,500 SHU |
| Origin | New Mexico, USA; bred by Fabián García at NMSU |
| Well-known cultivars | ‚New Mexico No. 9‘, ‚Sandia‘, ‚NuMex Big Jim‘ and other NuMex releases; ‚Anaheim‘ |
| Uses | green: roasted and peeled; red: dried, ristras, sauces |
Fabián García and the first “dependable” chile
The New Mexican pod type was created by Fabián García at New Mexico A&M, today New Mexico State University (NMSU). He selected 14 local accessions of three types (“pasilla”, “colorado” and “negro”), and after nine years of testing ‚New Mexico No. 9‘ proved the best. NMSU gives 1913 as its release year; García described it in detail in a 1921 bulletin. It was the first New Mexican variety with a dependable pod size and heat level and remained the standard until 1950. García’s goal was a shoulder-less pod for canning.
According to the Chile Pepper Institute, all New Mexican-type chiles grown today, including ‚Anaheim‘, owe their genetic base to ‚New Mexico No. 9‘. The New Mexican pod type is often mistakenly called “Anaheim”, but ‚Anaheim‘ and ‚NuMex Big Jim‘ are actually cultivars within the New Mexican pod type.
Cultivars
- ‚Sandia‘ was released by Roy Harper in 1956 (as ‚Sandia A‘, renamed in 1967) – a cross of ‚New Mexico No. 9‘ with a California Anaheim type.
- ‚NuMex Big Jim‘, released by Roy Nakayama in 1975, was listed by Guinness as the world’s largest chile – an average pod is about 7.7 × 1.9 in (19.5 × 4.8 cm). Heat varies from plant to plant; 6,500 SHU was measured.
- Most NMSU releases since 1975 carry the prefix NuMex; NMSU’s list covers about 45 cultivars from 1913–2022, from the non-pungent ‚NuMex Conquistador‘ to 9,500 SHU.
Hatch
Hatch is a place, not a variety: a town about 40 miles north of NMSU, in whose valley the New Mexican pod type was first grown commercially. Since 2011 New Mexico’s Chile Advertising Act allows only chile grown in New Mexico to be sold as “New Mexico chile”; older brands using New Mexico place names must carry the disclaimer “NOT GROWN IN NEW MEXICO”.
Red or green?
In 1996 the New Mexico Legislature declared “Red or Green?” the official state question. Both are the same pods at different stages: green chile is roasted, peeled and canned or frozen; red is harvested ripe and partially dried (NMSU). NMSU’s roasting method: oven, grill or broiler at 400–450 °F (200–230 °C) for 6–8 minutes until the skin blisters, then steam the pods in a covered container and peel – wearing gloves. Roasting chile in rotating drums outside shops is an autumn tradition in New Mexico; NPR described its aroma as a “smoky, sweet, pungent perfume”.
Production
In 2024 New Mexico harvested 52,000 tons of chile (43,400 t green and 8,600 t red) from 8,000 acres, worth 2.2 million; almost 80% went to processing (USDA NASS).
Related
Poblano and ancho · Jalapeño · Drying chillies and ristras · Scoville scale
Sources
- Coon D., Walker S., Lozada D., Guzman I., Bosland P. W.: Chile cultivars released by NMSU, NMSU Circular 706
- NMSU Chile Pepper Institute: Fabián García; Then and now
- NMSU: Guide H-230; Guide E-324 (roasting)
- Texas A&M AgriLife: New Mexico Chile Advertising Act (2014)
- New Mexico Secretary of State: State question
- NPR / WGBH (2013): chile roasting season
- USDA NASS: New Mexico 2024 Chile Production